


Before Today

by Luigi_Luigi



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: But I don't like to write things I don't know so this isn't about that:), Hurt/Comfort, Other, dadvid, theres a lot of interpretations of max's parents and how David is eligible for adopting max
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 21:18:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17536454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luigi_Luigi/pseuds/Luigi_Luigi
Summary: It's the end of camp and Max's parents are late. This isn't surprising, but it doesn't make the wait anymore pleasant.





	Before Today

**Author's Note:**

> Benny, these dedications are getting harder and harder to write out to you. Do something stupid so I can mention it here.

Max always held rather low expectations when it came to just about anything. While he had admittedly been less outwardly negative as of recently, his true pessimism still remained deeply rooted within him. He didn’t hold the lowest standards, especially when regarding himself, but most certainly kept his gaze to the lower end of the scale. It allowed him to keep disappointments small and trivial, with the occasional pleasant surprise when things did go right. 

There were the times when Max was disappointed anyways though, despite the supposed lack of expectations. In fact, that tended to make things hurt even more so.

The bus was a familiar setting. This particular one not so much, since Max had only actually been in it a couple times. However, there were very little differences between the telltale bright yellow vehicles, with rows of tight, dark seats. Admittedly, the ride out of the camp had been something pleasant. Leaving wasn’t something he was upset about. Most of the other campers were not very upset to leave either though. Perhaps not as ecstatic as Max gave the impression of, but certainly not crying about it. Max had to give credit, at the very least, to David for not straight up bawling over their departure. The man teared up and gave them obnoxiously heartfelt goodbyes, but that was all. 

Then Max had squeezed onto the bus with the other campers, watched woodsy scenery pass as they drove along the dirt road, and ignored the two counselors waving as they disappeared from sight. He contentedly sat through the ride, observing the chaos that was the whole nightmare of campers secluded to a cramped bus and making smart ass remarks with Nikki and Neil. It was when the bus stopped and the kids began filing out of the bus that Max’s good mood started to slip. 

A majority of the parents were already present, waiting patiently for their children. Within a span of 30 minutes, several cars arrived and left, families happily rejoined after a long summer. Nikki and Neil long gone, Max watched the last car drive away from his perch on a rather large boulder that was near the parked bus. He wasn’t quite scowling, but his usual frown tugged at his lips. He wasn’t upset, except that he kind of was, but again he hadn’t really been expecting anything different. 

His parents were always late. Always. In fact, on the occasion that it was possible for them not to show up and pick up or drop off Max for something, they would forgo the whole lateness entirely and just not come at all. When Max missed the school bus he walked to school. He would have liked to stay home or at least walk somewhere else, but the year his parents were threatened with a fine because he missed so much school for those very reasons ruined that. He’d gotten better at not missing the bus. 

As it were, Max couldn’t just walk home. He’d been dropped off here and taken by the bus the rest of the way to the camp. Pawning Max off to be looked after by barely paid camp counselors was enough motivation to drive him there. Driving him back was more was likely considered a pain. Either they were putting it off as long as possible or they were dragging Max into the torture of it. Probably both. All he could do was wait, though. 

It was sometime in the afternoon when the bus had left the camp. It was starting to near dusk by now. Max didn’t have David’s phone to entertain him. As much as he would have had fun stealing it, he’d end up with consequences that really weren’t worth dealing with. Not that Max wasn’t used to zoning out for at least couple hours at a time. He could have taken the phone and then thrown it at the Quartermaster to give back to David when it was time for Max to leave. At the thought of the unnerving man, Max looked over at the bus still parked a few feet away. The Quartermaster was slouched in his seat and seemingly asleep. It occurred to Max that he couldn’t leave until he was picked up. Or rather, he wasn’t supposed to, anyway. How long would Max be willing to wait? Well, then again maybe ‘willing’ wasn’t the right word. How long would he be forced to wait? The whole night? His parents wouldn’t find that very unreasonable. The Quartermaster probably would though. If he hadn’t been asleep nearly the whole time, he probably would have been fairly irritated by now. Max wondered if the man would just leave him there if his parents decided to take much longer. 

Max slid off the boulder he’d taken refuge on for the last few hours. His legs felt numb. He peered inside the open doors of the bus. If he slipped quietly into one of the seats the Quartermaster might not even notice him when he woke up and simply drive back to the camp. Of course, who knew what the man would do if he thought he was by himself on the bus and Max had gotten plenty of that route of insight. 

So, with the meager hope that the man wouldn’t startle and stab him with his hook, Max stepped into the bus and called out loudly to him. The Quartermaster's eyes opened so fast, already looking straight into Max’s soul, that Max flinched back with a near yelp. 

“Jesus Christ,” He muttered. “Were you even asleep?”

“Never sleep. That’s how they getcha.” 

Max grimaced. Not that he wanted to admit it, but he was a little more afraid of talking to the Quartermaster without Nikki or Neil backing him up. The guy was extremely creepy. 

“Right. Okay.” Max ground out. “Listen, can you just, like, drive me back to the camp?”

The Quartermaster grunted. Max decided to take that as a yes. Unfortunately, after Max took a few quick steps past him, the Quartermaster seemed to realize why this was a weird request. 

“Your folks are supposed to pick you up down here.”

Max paused, a flare of irritation making him clench his jaw. He glared over his shoulder.

“Yeah. They are supposed to do that. I’m very aware of that. Are you taking me back to the camp or not?” 

The Quartermaster stared at him a moment and grunted again, but he turned around and started up the bus. Max let out a sigh and hurried to the back of the seats, as far away from the creepy driver as possible. He curled up tightly in the old battered seat, turning his head to look out the window. His breath fogged up the window and he wondered what the chances were that his parents would show up in the next ten minutes after he left. 

Max spent the next 30 minutes of the ride in near dead silence, broken only by the rumble of the bus, switching between looking out the window and fidgeting with his camp bag. He couldn't help but pitifully compare it to the ride from earlier. Loud and a lot less lonely. Max scoffed quietly to himself. He hated this camp. 

The bus lurched to a stop and the rumble of the engine was shut off. Max didn’t move. Instead he peered out the window and watched as David strolled up. Max could hear indecipherable murmurs of conversation and it was only once David’s voice took on a concerned lilt that he finally slid out of his seat and began trekking down the small aisle. David was frowning at the Quartermaster and when Max stepped off the bus, his frown deepened. 

“You parents didn’t show up.” Max wasn’t sure if David said it in a questioning way or as a statement. Either way, it was a stupid comment. 

“No, they picked me up hours ago. I’m a figment of your imagination.” Max deadpanned.

“Honestly, I’d consider that a better scenario. It shouldn’t take your parents this long to come and get you.” David had put on his serious face. It was awful. 

“They’re late, David.” 

“Do you want me to call them?” 

Max wasn’t sure what he wanted. He wasn’t sure why he’d come back to the camp since the waiting game was the same here as it was at the drop off point. 

“Obviously they need a reminder.” Max said. He walked past David to go to the mess hall, ending the conversation. David didn’t follow him. 

The mess hall had apparently met the same fate as the bus. Without the other campers it was utterly silent, not even the dim hum from any activity happening outside. It had been like this when Max had first arrived. Since his parents were so desperate to be free of him he got placed here at the soonest possible moment. Which left him waiting for about a couple hours at the drop off and then stuck in the camp for a whole day before any other kids started to show up as well. The temporary silence left him to his thoughts, except that David had bothered him to the point that Max appointed the camp counselor as the most annoying man on earth. 

Said man walked in a moment later. Max wondered if he had his phone on him. It would be a better way to pass the time than just staring blankly across the room for god knows how long. 

“How often do your parents answer their phones?” David asked once he got close enough. “I called both of them a couple times, but just got put on voicemail.” 

Max shrugged. “Depends on if they want to talk to the person calling them. They usually don’t want to.”

“Well, I left them a message.” David informed him. “Hopefully they answer or drop by soon.”

Max scoffed. David gave him a curious look, but Max just stared stubbornly at the table.

“What’s Gwen doing?” He asked instead.

“She’s not here.” 

“She left?”

“As soon as the campers leave she starts getting ready to take off. She doesn’t need to stay if there’s no kids to look after.” David explained.

“What are you still doing here then?” Max questioned, glancing up at the man.

“I have to pack up the camp. Y’know, put things away and lock up the buildings.” David paused. “Make sure there’s no other complications I need to take care of before I go.” 

Max looked back down at the table. He wondered what he would have done if David had left as Gwen had. It hadn’t really occurred to him that they both would leave at some point. Or at least, it hadn’t really occurred to him that David would. While Gwen disliked the camp almost as much as Max did, David would probably love to actually live in the damn camp. 

“Where do you live?” Max blurted out before he realized what he was even asking. “Do you have an apartment somewhere or do you just live in a stuffy little cabin that’s as close to nature as possible?”

“What?”

“I’m trying to imagine you outside of this place and it’s a little difficult since you might as well live here.” Max squinted accusingly. “You don’t though, right?”

David blinked at him, then burst into laughter. 

“No, I don’t live here. I have a small house, not far from here but much closer to the city than the camp is.”

Max stared at the man for a long moment. “Yeah, still can’t image it.”

David shook his head, smile lingering on his face. “I’m going to finish closing the rest of the camp up. Try not to get into any last minute trouble in the meantime?”

“Sure.” Max said innocently, waiting until David left before he pulled out the man’s phone. “Sucker.”

When David returned, Max had been playing around on the pink device for a couple hours. The time, having passed less noticeably with the distraction, was 9:28 PM. Max tended to pass out closer to 11PM most nights. Still, it was very late. Later than Max was hoping it would end up being. Certainly much later than David thought it should be. The man slowly walked up the table and leaned against it. He wasn’t facing Max. The action was unnerving and Max found himself looking warily at him. 

“I called your parents again.”

“Yeah?”

David shifted uncomfortably, head dipping down. He didn’t speak for several moments and then simply sat down next to Max.

“They answered this time.” 

“So when are they going to come get me already?”

“They… They’re not.” David said quietly. “That’s kind of all they said. That they weren't coming to get you.” He paused, before adding barely above a whisper, “Ever.”

Max blinked. Then blinked again.

“Oh.” He said eventually, though it sounded more like a wheezy breath. Like the air had gotten punched out of him. David finally looked over to him, worry stressed into his features. Max’s gaze had slipped somewhere near David’s shoulder. He wasn’t really seeing it, thoughts whipping through his head too fast to quite focus on anything. 

“So, what then? What’s supposed to happen now? What am I supposed to do?” 

“I’m not really sure what would be the best thing to do in this situation. Or really what to do at all.”  David fidgeted with his watch. “I… I’m sorry, Max. This isn’t something you should have to deal with.”

“Well, I am.” Max snapped. His fingers dug into the wood of the table. David sighed.

“I guess I should call someone.” He said. 

“Someone?” 

“CPS.” Max stiffened. “I’ll have to look up the number…” 

David patted his pockets, looking for his phone. Max squeezed the stolen device inside his own pocket. 

“Don’t.” 

David stopped his futile search.

“Don’t call fucking Child Protective Services on me.”

“I have to, Max. This is the type of stuff they deal with. I’m supposed to call them.” David said. 

“Do not,” Max gritted out. “Fucking call them.” 

“They’ll sort this out-”

“They’ll put me in fucking foster care.” Max threw his hands up into the air. “That’s not sorting shit out, that’s just dumping me somewhere so someone else can look after me. That’s what my parents did when they fucking abandoned me at this fucking camp and they aren’t even going to get anything pinned on them because they’re not going to be stupid enough to be found.” 

David watched him silently through his rant. Max felt his eyes start to burn and he scowled. He pulled his legs up so that he could rest his chin on his knees. 

“I’ve already thought about it before. Calling people like them.” Max admitted.  “I thought maybe they would fix things, but I’m not an idiot and did my research. I was more likely to just get taken away if things were actually bad enough to do anything at all.”  
“How bad were things?” David asked in a soft voice.

“I don’t know. I mean, I wasn’t being abused or anything.” Max said glancing up at David for a moment. “They just don’t care. They like to pretend I’m not there. Sometimes I wonder if they actually forgot every now and then.”

Max gave a huff a laughter. “Sounds kind of stupid when I say it out loud. There’s worse reasons to call CPS than just being ignored.”

“It’s not stupid, Max.”

Max choked suddenly, a small sob breaking from his throat without his permission. He coughed and tried to blink back the blur in his eyes.

“Usually kids are placed into foster care because it's the better place for them to be. Why don’t you want to go?” David asked, tilting his head to try and catch Max’s gaze.

“Besides the millions of other kids also stuck in the system?” Max tried to say sarcastically, but his voice wavered. He sighed. “Because I don’t see the point. I didn’t need to get away from anything. My parents probably would have been pleased more than anything if it didn’t get them in trouble. I’d be ignored there, too.”

“It’d only be temporary.” David said weakly. Max shook his head.

“No. It wouldn’t. Nobody wants to deal with a grouchy, smart ass kid.” Max muttered. “Not even my own parents wanted me.”

David winced. He reached a hand out, but seemed to think better of it and dropped it to lay flat on the table. Max rubbed stubbornly at his eyes. Then he shifted and pulled out the pink phone, placing next to the camp counselor’s hand. A fleeting look of amusement passed over David’s face. He took the phone.

“You can call CPS.”

David jerked his head up. “I thought you didn’t want me to?” 

“I don’t, but you can’t do anything else.” Max said in a thick voice. 

There was a long pause. 

“I could do one other thing.” David murmured.

Max peered over expectantly. David had his hands clasped between his knees and there was a distracted look on his face. There was another bout of silence. Eventually, David turned to face him.

“I don’t know how okay with it you’d be, but…” David reached a hand up to his neck, pulling on the yellow bandana tied around it. “You could stay with me?”

Max stared at him. “What?”

“You don’t have to, it’s just another option. One that you may or may not consider better depending on how you feel about things.” David said hurriedly, holding his hands up defensively. 

“Why would you- You can’t just say something like that just because you want to be nice, David.” Max told him irritably. 

“I’m not. I said it because if you're comfortable enough with the idea, I’d be fine with you staying with me. I might even go as far as to say that I’d prefer it.” David took a deep breath. “Gwen would probably say that I’m being impulsive and getting in over my head, but you’re right. About the foster care. It can be a difficult place and I feel like you shouldn’t have to go through that, too. Not when I’m more than willing to do this for you.”

Max sat stock still, his face blank. He didn’t seem like he was about to say anything soon and David wondered if he was even hearing him. 

“I know you, Max. I can look past the mischief you get into and see how bright you are. I would hate to simply hand you off to somebody else who can’t be bothered to at least try and understand you. And you know me. Even though I’m pretty sure I end up getting on your nerves more often than not, I’m at least a familiar face. Someone who wants to help you through this. So even if you don’t want me to get involved like I offered, I want you to know that I’ll still be there for you.” 

David dropped his voice into a low and gentle tone. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to leave too because I’m not, okay?”

Max brows furrowed and he swallowed. David’s words had apparently rendered him speechless. Of the several things that had occurred today, this seemed to be just a little too overwhelming. Max’s vision began to blur as he finally found his voice in the form of a sharp curse. He swore a second time when blinking stopped holding back his tears and instead made them fall faster. He ducked his head under his arms, burying his face into his knees. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Max wasn’t sure whether to be comforted by the touch or annoyed by it. 

“You don’t have to figure out everything right this second. I’d be rather impressed if you did.” David assured him. “It’s pretty late, though, and it might be better if you had some rest before making any decisions.”

“Okay.” Max despised the way his voice sounded like a whine.

“We’ll spend another night at the camp and take care of things in the morning. And hey, you can even bunk in Gwen’s bed instead of the tent cots, since she’s not here.” David said, in a slightly more cheerful voice than it had taken on for the past several minutes.

Max only nodded, not trusting himself to speak. After a moment he uncurled himself, head still dipped down in an attempt to preserve his dignity, and followed David to the counselors cabin. He waited patiently in the doorway as David pulled a spare sheet over Gwen’s stripped bed and threw on a pillow and blanket. David patted the mattress and once Max climbed into the bed, David made his way to his own bed. He paused as he reached for the bedside lamp.

“Don’t worry, Max. We’ll work things out.” He said with a smile and turned off the light.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> It occurs to me that rant tag isn't entirely accurate. Oh well.


End file.
